


Reflection

by Beregond5



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s01e04 Cyberwoman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8748496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beregond5/pseuds/Beregond5
Summary: After he sees Ianto at a particularly vulnerable moment, Jack makes an important decision





	

The day was quiet. Or rather, as quiet as it could have been, considering the kind of nightmare that the team had been through just a day ago. Lisa, the Cyberwoman, had finally been disposed of, the power system was back in fully operational order, and the machine that had dominated the basement had been completely and utterly dismantled. Even Owen, Tosh and Gwen seemed calm once more, putting the bad memories behind them and focusing on their jobs around the Hub.

Even so, Captain Jack Harkness couldn’t forget or let go what had happened, especially since a member of his own team had brought this on them. Someone whom Jack and the others worked with and even trusted him, and who almost got them killed. All because of some girl and his so-called love for her.

Jack snorted. Obsession was a more appropriate word in his books.

Worse, Jack suspected that Ianto wouldn’t forget or let go of the matter either. And if Ianto had betrayed them once in order to keep Lisa Hallett alive, he was bound to betray them again in order to avenge Lisa Hallett’s ‘death’.

True, Jack could have retconned Ianto. That, however, was easier said than done. Lisa Hallett had been part of young Jones’ life for three years. It was too long a time to simply erase without certain complications in Ianto’s psyche and, traitor or not, Ianto Jones didn’t deserve that kind of fate. On the other hand, Jack couldn’t simply fire him; the youngest member of the team knew too much about Torchwood, first as junior archivist in London and now as administrator here, in Cardiff. Trusting him to just not talk wasn’t an option. It wasn’t worth the risk when there were other, simpler solutions. 

After all, as a wise man once said, ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’

So Jack did just that. He let Ianto Jones continue working in the Hub, much to the others’ surprise and, in the case of Owen, obvious dismay. They didn’t know what Jack had in his mind, though. For the former time agent wouldn’t allow himself to be caught by surprise again; he would make sure of that. Early this morning, when no one else had arrived yet, Jack took it upon himself to install a surveillance camera inside the tourist office. He didn’t use one of the conventional cameras; he didn’t want Tosh to realize that some of her equipment was missing. Instead, he planted a very discreet, user-friendly prism-like alien device that served the same purpose. All Jack had to do was also place a transmitter on his desk, and he would be able to receive clear visual and audio feedback without anyone being the wiser. It was perfect and, above all else, convenient. He would be able to keep an eye on things at all times.

As it turned out, it worked better than he could hope for. He saw Ianto arrive just an hour later, and Jack watched him take up his place behind his desk the way he always did. The younger man didn’t seem to realize that his every move was being closely monitored as he picked up a small stack of papers and started working on them. In fact, he didn’t even lift his gaze as Owen and Gwen walked in. He merely pressed the enter button to allow them access to the Hub, not bothering to address them even in a mere, polite hello.

Then again, why would he? Jack understood that Ianto felt like he was working with the murderers of his girlfriend. And, of course, neither Owen nor Gwen really wanted to deal with Ianto either. The doctor was just that angry and the former police officer that nervous and guilty. So, they left him be and walked in, casting the briefest of glances in his direction.

Jack rolled his eyes gently. He had tried to explain to Ianto about a dozen times that that… thing… was no longer Lisa Hallett, that killing her was the best thing not just for the rest of the world, but for her as well. It was of no use, though; Jack’s reasoning fell into deaf ears. Ianto had still preferred to defy Jack’s authority, wanting to believe she could be saved. And, frankly, it was something that Jack couldn’t understand. Why would someone, who had seen and done so much inside Torchwood, choose in such a crucial moment to grasp at straws rather than accept the futility of it all?

The sound of laughter reached his ears, and he looked up before he could help it. Gwen seemed to be laughing with Owen – or at Owen, that was also a probability – over some matter or other. 

Come to think of it… those two were spending a lot of time together lately, seeming very eager to talk about something that was, apparently, quite the secret; they’d always stop talking if someone came within hearing range. Jack’s instincts told him that it had to do with something that happened during the Cyberwoman incident, since they were definitely not acting like that before. Still, Jack wasn’t sure if he really wanted to find out.

He looked back at his computer, catching sight of the time reading on the screen: 9 o’clock sharp. It was right about this time that Ianto usually retired to the kitchenette to prepare coffee. This time he did no such thing, though. He was no longer working on papers, but he seemed to be preoccupied with his computer; reading something on the web, by the look of things.

Or was he? As Jack zoomed in, he could see that Ianto’s gaze was thoughtful, and he pressed the buttons on the keyboard in a mechanical manner. If he were working, his heart was certainly not into it.

Jack frowned. Though Ianto had wanted to join Torchwood 3 because of Lisa, he had always seemed to go on about his duties with a smile, his eyes shining brightly as he exchanged banters with Owen or quick-witted remarks with the former time-agent. Now, however, the gaze had become lackluster and tired, making Ianto seem… aged. A part of Jack supposed that it had to do with Ianto’s mourning. But another, harsher part of Jack was certain that even the cheerful, unburdened Ianto was an act, meant to fool Jack and put his guard down.

It was then that another thought occurred to him. Tosh should have been here by now, and yet there was no sign of her. Jack hoped that nothing serious came up…

The door opened, and the woman herself appeared, right on cue. To Jack’s surprise, she was holding a tray with five cups of coffee on it, something that explained her delay. It didn’t explain why she took that kind of initiative, though.

Meanwhile, Tosh walked up to Ianto, holding up one of the cups and placing it down on his desk. The man watched the motion, clearly as unsure about the gesture as Jack was.

“I… brought you coffee,” Tosh said with a shy smile.

Ianto nodded, his lips quirking to a small smile to mirror Tosh’s as he replied softly, “Right.”

“Nobody ever gets you coffee.”

Ianto nodded again, the smile fading as he resumed with his ‘work’; a sign that she could go. And though Tosh took a couple of steps towards the secret entrance, she seemed quite reluctant to go just yet.

“Doing something… nice… for the weekend?” she asked softly.

Ianto instantly got up and pressed the enter button, his body tense as a bowstring. “Go on through,” he said, his tone stolid and putting an end to the attempted conversation. 

Tosh looked at him for several moments, clearly hurt. Even so, she slowly went through the door, sparing only one final glance in the man’s direction before walking out of sight. Had she stalled a moment longer, she would have seen what Jack witnessed: Ianto turning around and making a motion as if to call her back, his eyes reflecting nothing less than desperation.

Jack remained frozen, the look having the power to make his heart skip a beat. And he couldn’t look away even as Ianto reached for the cup of coffee with trembling fingers to sip some of the liquid… and then the single, heart-wrenching sound of a sob filled the room.

Jack swallowed hard, trying to rid the unnatural lump that had formed in his throat. For a moment, he was sure that Ianto would break down right there and then, surrounded by nothing else except the four walls and the relentless silence. However, the young man managed to compose himself in the very next moment, his shoulders pushed back and his face the epitome of professionalism as he carried on working on his computer.

In that moment, seemingly out of the blue, everything became perfectly clear to Jack. Whether it was obsession or love that had driven Ianto to help Lisa, it was loneliness that stopped him from opening up to them, his teammates. And, to his horror, Jack realized that he and the others had done nothing to rectify that; they just pushed Ianto further and further until he had no choice but to act behind their back.

\---------------------------

_“You hid a Cyberman within Torchwood and you didn’t tell us? What else are you keeping from us?!”_

_“Like you care! I clean up your shit; no questions asked, just the way you like it. When did you last ask me anything about my life?”_

\-------------------------

Ianto had called him a monster. As guilt started eating away at him, though, Jack wasn’t sure if even that description suited him after the selfish way he – no, all of them – had acted. And it was obvious that Tosh must have figured out the same thing. Why else would she try to reach Ianto now, hoping to make amends, however belatedly?

But, unlike Tosh, he wouldn’t accept defeat. He didn’t work hard not to fail the world he was supposed to protect, only to fail one single person. He owed Ianto that much, at the very least. And the very first thing he’d do at first chance was to take down the camera.

After that… well, he’d just improvise.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a deleted scene from Cyberwoman. This was basically an attempt to explain why Jack decided to sort of give Ianto another chance, thus leading to them becoming lovers. I hope you've enjoyed the reading. :)


End file.
